The blackstripe basslet is a very uninspired name for a little fish we just spotted in theDiver’s Denthat deserves a moniker a whole lot more inspired. Better known asLiopropoma latifasciatumto the initiated rare fish fanciers, the pale colored basslet in LiveAquaria’s care is an ugly duckling compared to the beautiful swan it will soon grow into.
L. latifasciatumis part of the group of basslets that includes better known rainbow, candy, african and plenty of other gorgeous basslet species, but the blackstripe is so rare that it’s more often spotted inspecialized fish tanks of Asiathan in the West. One thing that makesL. latifasciatumand its sister speciesL. lunulatumso rare in the aquarium hobby is that developing swim bladder problems is the norm for them, not the exception.
Were it not for this swim bladder complication and the resulting buoyancy issues we bet these medium sizedLiopropomaspecies would be a lot more popular in the aquarium hobby, and targeted more often by collectors. Interestingly enough, the last time a healthy blackstripe basslet was offered for sale online it wasTen Years Agoand also from LiveAquaria!
The rare fish market certainly has matured quite a lot since 2009 when theL. latifasciatumfirst sold for $299 and today in 2019 it’s a thousand dollars more at $1,299. However if you compare that price to the blackstripe’s relatives like theAberransandAurora bassletthat can sell for many times more, the juvenile blackstripe is a steal compared to how big and showy it will one day become.
